Gordonmull wrote:I'm no artist, programmer or anything although I have an idea of balance and storytelling from my tabletop RPG days. I've only been playing Oolite a short while but I'll keep shouting out ideas if and when they come and hopefully learn more about the game structure as I do.

All ideas are gratefully received!

In other news, I'm back to working on this project as real life events have finally panned out (new house with a garden and a new super-fast internet connection) so keep watching this space for a proper Beta release...

Gordonmull wrote:This is just a small flavour thing: After contact with thargoids, the next time a player docks a "Press Space" screen could pop up with the message "HIMSN has received your report on Thargoid movements in <current system> and thanks you for your assistance."

Again certainly possible but I will let Supreme Grand Admiral Gimi decide on this.

I tend to agree with Cody here. With the vanilla game it could work, but if the player adds OXP's that increases the number of Thargoids (and there are a few) it would quickly become too much.

I'm not against some sort of interaction through messages though, especially if it's been a long time since last interaction (maybe 200 jumps). This could be used as a filler until more missions are implemented. Not sure how and what though. Messages should also be mostly indifferent. Maybe some sort of propaganda public relations reports sent out to those who have had friendly interactions with HIMSN.

War is going well, reserves will be called upon when needed, blah, blah...

"A brilliant game of blasting and trading... Truly a mega-game... The game of a lifetime."(Gold Medal Award, Zzap!64 May 1985).

Pleb wrote:GalCop and HIMSN resources are spread thinly trying to repel the Thargoids from Co-Operative space. So even if the player did encounter the Thargoids they kind of have their hands full to be able to do anything about it. HIMSN will engage and protect civilians if they encounter Thargoids attacking them, but they are not the cavalry to be called in when needed.

No deffo was not thinking about "the cavalry". More trying just to help out by calling in contacts "helping" the Navy to know about movements behind the "lines" as best they can be understood. Intelligence, not cries for help. No game mechanism, just an immersion thing. Anyroad, this game's predecessor relied heavily on my own make believe, so i can live with pretending to call 'em in and still be salivating over this mod

I'm no artist, programmer or anything although I have an idea of balance and storytelling from my tabletop RPG days. I've only been playing Oolite a short while but I'll keep shouting out ideas if and when they come and hopefully learn more about the game structure as I do.

Short explanation.
We are trying to create a special feel and setting with HIMSN. To do this the behaviour of HIMSN will be very different from the Galactic Navy in GALNAV OXP. I'm not going to go into details, but this means that quite a few suggestions that have been made have been rejected. If you have read through this thread you will know that the scope has changed a lot over time as well. This is also in part to create that certain feel we want. So while I encourage ideas, there is a danger that they will be rejected without reason so as not to spoil any surprises. Sorry.

I can reveal though, that HIMSN and GALCOP are not on the best of terms (they tolerate each other out of necessity) and the OXP will reflect this in some subtle ways.

"A brilliant game of blasting and trading... Truly a mega-game... The game of a lifetime."(Gold Medal Award, Zzap!64 May 1985).

I'm around, but life is pretty busy (more so than usual).
I'm probably not going to be of very much use for a while, but I will try to "respond" to hard kicks on my shins.
I have also had a crash on my gaming PC, which now has been reinstalled with a brand new SSD. Still have to tidy up my OXP library though (sigh).

"A brilliant game of blasting and trading... Truly a mega-game... The game of a lifetime."(Gold Medal Award, Zzap!64 May 1985).

Work on a Beta is in place I've just been busy with other things unfortunately. But the Core OXZ and a couple of introductory missions are more or less ready for testing. The AI is pretty much exactly as ordered the only thing that really needs doing is extensive testing of its responses to different situations...

Pleb wrote:Work on a Beta is in place I've just been busy with other things unfortunately. But the Core OXZ and a couple of introductory missions are more or less ready for testing. The AI is pretty much exactly as ordered the only thing that really needs doing is extensive testing of its responses to different situations...

Yes of course! I need to put some finishing touches to it but I'll try and aim to get it done and uploaded in the next day or so. I should have done it ages ago but after my new PC arrived I've been distracted playing ED and Watch Dogs which looks pretty but isn't as fun as I'd thought it be - Watch Dogs that is lol ED is very pretty but don't want to try very hard when it's getting wiped before release!

OneoftheLost wrote:So...uh... what ever happened with this? I refuse ro believe that 50 pages led to abandonment.

As he hasn't logged in for about 5 weeks now, I'm guessing that, per the quote below, Pleb's gotten rather sidetracked by ED..

Pleb wrote:after my new PC arrived I've been distracted playing ED

Most games have some sort of paddling-pool-and-water-wings beginning to ease you in: Oolite takes the rather more Darwinian approach of heaving you straight into the ocean, often with a brick or two in your pockets for luck. ~ Disembodied